


Stay With You

by rattmann



Category: RWBY
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Hospitalization, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Near Death Experiences
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 12:07:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21969040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rattmann/pseuds/rattmann
Summary: In which Qrow gets hurt, and Clover is there for him the entire time.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen/Clover Ebi
Comments: 8
Kudos: 201





	Stay With You

**Author's Note:**

> Fair Game is the only muse I have to write, and that's for the gays

It had happened too quick. Everything had happened too quick. What happened wasn’t _supposed_ to happen. Fuck… things were supposed to go well. They were supposed to go like they always went, _good._ And yet here Clover is, sitting with a group of kids as they wait for medics to arrive. He should be doing his job. Getting his team together, keeping these kids relaxed. Yet here he is, sitting on the ground with shaking hands as he watches Qrow’s almost lifeless form.

He was supposed to keep him safe, keep all of them safe.

He vaguely hears Marrow getting ahold of Ironwood behind him, out of his peripheral he sees Blake holding Yang close in a hug. But that’s not what matters. What matters right now is Qrow. All that ever mattered was _Qrow._

Qrow, who was bleeding out on the snowy ground in front of him. Qrow, who was unconscious and limp. Qrow, who had gotten attacked by Tyrian with poison flowing through his body as his aura was ripped away from him. Qrow, who had Ruby’s body hovering over him, trying to help stop the bleeding frantically. Clover wants to help. He wants to get up and take control. That’s what he’s supposed to be doing after all. Yet, he can’t bring himself to move.

He can only bring himself to stare at Qrow. Qrow’s pale skin somehow even lighter, Qrow’s eyelashes fluttering slightly. The mix of red and purple liquid flowing out of his body. Everything about Qrow has Clover’s attention.

“-ver. Clover. We gotta move.” A voice, Harriet, breaks him from his thoughts. Suddenly there’s a hand grabbing his arm and pulling him to stand. He sways, shooting a glare at Harriet. “Clover there’s Grimm, we have to go.”

Looking behind him, he sees the said Grimm rushing towards his group just as the airship arrives to pick them up. His eyes widen slightly as his need to _do_ something takes over. Looking back to his group, a fierce determination in his eyes.

“Fall back! Now.” He orders, the Ace Ops and the new Huntsmen and Huntresses give him a sharp nod as they run to the ship. All except for Yang, Blake, Ruby, and… Qrow. Who’s still laying on the ground. He turns to Yang, whose eyes are a bright shade of red as she attempts to go after the Grimm, Blake holds her back. “Get to the ship!”

As Blake pulls her partner away, he goes to tell Ruby the same thing. That he’ll get Qrow and be right behind her. But there’s a fiery look in her gaze as she stares back at him. This isn’t going to be easy.

“Ruby-”

“Take my uncle to safety. I’ll cover you.”

Ruby’s face is stern, a look of perseverance on her face. Clover would argue, if he had time. But he doesn’t. So rather than standing around and fighting with her, he picks Qrow up carefully and runs onto the ship. He doesn’t bother looking behind him, he knows Ruby can handle herself. As soon as he steps foot onto the ship and the medics take Qrow out of his arms, there’s a burst of wind and roses that fly by him, transforming into Ruby in a flash. Then, they’re off. Leaving the Grimm behind. Clover doesn’t take his eyes off Qrow for the entire flight, no one says anything about it.

And that's how Clover finds himself sitting next to a hospital bed staring at Qrow Branwen’s lifeless form. Heart Rate monitor beeping at a steady pace as IV’s pump medicine into Qrow’s body. Clover taps his fingers on the edge of the bed, needing to move some part of his body before he passed out.

He hasn’t slept in three days.

He’s been sitting in this ugly metal chair for three days, staring at Qrow. Waiting for him to wake up. He knows he shouldn’t be doing this. He should be following Ironwood’s orders and taking care of his team, not this. But no one has come by to tell him to do those exact things. Not the General, not Winter, not his team, no one.

The kids have come to visit when they could, mostly Ruby. She would always bring him a coffee and a snack that he could barely bring himself to eat. They’d sit in silence for awhile before Ruby would go off on a tangent about something Qrow had done in the past. They were mostly funny stories, Ruby never really seemed like the type to talk about the more serious topics. Not that Clover had minded. Besides, it was a good excuse to learn more about the man. He would never cease to get tired of learning about Qrow.

Ruby would always leave by saying something positive. Telling him that Qrow will wake up soon, that it means a lot to her that he stays by his side. That she knows even though Qrow isn’t awake right now, he appreciates it too. It always makes him feel a little bit better. Knowing that what he was doing isn’t what he _should_ be, but that it’s the right thing to do. Though he doesn’t understand how optimistic she can be at the situation, and that’s coming from him.

Taking Qrow’s hand in his own, he traces the Huntsman’s veins with his fingertip. The hand is limp in his own, Clover would think the other man had died if it weren’t for the reassuring beep of the monitor or the slight rise and fall of Qrow’s chest. He pulls Qrow’s hand to his face, kissing his knuckles gently. More than anything he wants that hand to move, he wants to see Qrow’s eyes flutter open. Brothers… he misses looking at those rustic red eyes. He misses Qrow.

“Come on… I know you have it in you. You can get through this.” Placing a kiss on the Huntsman’s wrist, he intertwines their fingers together. The action was very intimate, almost too intimate. Clover finds that he doesn’t care. “My lucky charm…”

Clover holds the hand close to him, refusing to let go. While Qrow is on an actual life line, Clover uses the Huntsman’s hand as his own. As if he would die if he wasn’t touching Qrow. Maybe he would die, though that seems a little dramatic.

They stay like that for what was probably hours. Qrow laying there, while Clover finds different excuses to touch him. Running his fingers through his hair, to get it out of his face. Holding his head to fix his pillow, so when he wakes up he isn’t uncomfortable. Drawing little patterns on Qrow’s arm with his fingers, he doesn’t have an excuse for that one. But he presumes Qrow would think it felt nice. These past few weeks he’s spent with Qrow, he’s noticed the Huntsman liked small gestures of affection. And who’s Clover to deny making the other man feel good?

Clover almost didn’t notice when the other man woke up. Almost. The tick of the heart monitor is what made him notice, too busy mapping out every detail of Qrow’s body in the meantime. His eyes shoot up to the mans face, a lump forming in his throat as hope overcomes his body.

Qrow was moving, slowly, yet still moving. Clover watches as Qrow squints his eyes open. A soft groan escapes his lips as he clenches his eyes shut once more, Clover watches as Qrow’s face switches from peaceful bliss to pure annoyance in the span of mere seconds. He worries his bottom lip between his teeth. He knows Qrow needs to rest, but a selfish part of him wants the man to be awake for good.

“Bright... “ Qrow mumbles, voice in a low rasp as he speaks. Clover feels his heart trying to jump out of his chest at the words. He feels like it’s been years since he’s heard the other man's voice. “Stupid lights…”

“Do you always wake up mad at the world?” He questions, a teasing tone in his voice. It’s easy to fall back into lightheartedness with Qrow. Maybe a bit too easy. He feels Qrow’s hand tense in his own, assuming that the man's entire body is tense as well. And then, those beautiful red eyes he’s been wanting to see so desperately are staring up at him. A grin spreads across his face, Qrow relaxes beneath him.

“Well if I could wake up to a pretty face like yours every morning I wouldn’t have to be so mad.” Qrow shoots back, a soft smile on his face as he says it. Clover squeezes his hand gently, taking those words to heart. He decides that one day he’ll be certain Qrow wakes up next to him every day. If that’s what made the man smile, there’s no way he wouldn’t do just that.

“How are you feeling?” His eyes scan over Qrow’s body once more. Eyes lingering over the fresh wound that would easily turn into a scar in the next few months. Clover wonders how many scars Qrow has, if the man even keeps count. Qrow grunts out his response.

“Eh… I’ve been worse.” Qrow shrugs, only to wince in pain at the movement. Clover’s face switches from a deadpan at the statement to a look of concern in an instant, twitching as he struggles between the thought of wanting to help and not knowing exactly what to do. Qrow waves him off anyways.

“How long has it been?” He asks, struggling to sit up. Clover helps him, making sure to not hurt the man as he does so. He really needs to get a nurse, or a doctor, or anyone really. But he wants this moment to be between them both, alone. As selfish and wrong as it is… he can’t help it.

“Three days. You’ve been healing pretty well, no complications.” Clover leaves out the part where he had frantically searched for someone to come to Qrow’s room after the heart monitor stopped beeping and went into a flatline for less than five seconds, Qrow didn’t need to know how Clover had gone berserk that day. Qrow didn’t need to know a lot of things that Clover had done these past few days.

“Hah! Qrow two, Tyrian zero. Sucker.” Clover raises an eyebrow at that, questions bubbling in his mind. The other man takes notice, and lets out a soft huff. “Not the first time that lunatic tried to kill me, I presume it won’t be the last.”

_What?_

“What do you mean not the first time? He’s poisoned you before? How did you survive that?!” Clover’s hands hover over Qrow now, as if he could take everything bad that’s happened to him away. Qrow smacks at his hands, rolling his eyes slightly.

“Don't worry about it. I’m here now aren’t I? Which makes me wonder… why are you here? Shouldn’t you be… y’know. Doing your job?”

“That doesn’t matter right now.”

“Well _that_ doesn’t sound like you at a-”

“Qrow. I’m here because I want to be. You’re the only thing that matters to me right now.”

Silence. Qrow is silent, studying the Ace Op. There’s no judgment on his face, only confusion and the want to understand. Clover intertwines their hands once more, which gives Qrow something new to look at.

“Hmph. Alright. Well… I’m gonna go back to sleep. We can talk about things more later, once I won’t pass out on you.” Qrow slowly eases himself back to laying down, Clover lets a bashful smile come across his face. Kissing Qrow’s hand once more, he watches as a smile crosses Qrow’s face as he closes his eyes.

“I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

_And Clover means that as a promise._

**Author's Note:**

> I really like the way this fic turned out, I've noticed most people tend to write Clover being the one getting hurt so I wanted to switch it up! Let me know what you think!


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